Empire on which the sun did not set long ago.

(പണ്ട് സൂര്യൻ അസ്തമിക്കാത്ത സാമ്രാജ്യത്തേക്കൊരു സന്ദർശനം)

Buckingham Palace

It was a long cherished aspiration to go around UK and European countries to see the geographical beauty and western culture once in life time. As for every venture, there is a time, that glorious time came to us in May 2018, luckily before Covid pandemic, to travel in a conducted tour team of forty members from our church led by two experienced priests to visit U K and twelve European countries in twenty eight days. The first country of my choice to visit was UK, about which I only visualized the places like Piccadilly Street, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbie, River Thames etc., when I studied History of England and the language, English.

London Eye

Tour in London was a sight seeing cross country for three days which was barely sufficient. UK , for Indians, is something special as compared to other countries. The past of British India is dreadful and nightmarish. But unknowingly, UK showered many contributions while looting us. The most important is their English language. This blessed language is the gateway for Indians to other countries of the world and to the horizon of knowledge. The present Indian generation, who flee away to US and UK is relatively better privileged than other countrymen. London Bridge, London Tower, Piccadilly Street, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, Buckingham Palace, The Queen, Westminster Abbe, Coffee houses, river Thames, echoing greenery etc. are some of the subject matters of Old English literature.

Daffodils Flower

Westminister Abbe contains the world renowned tombs, where literary stalwarts like William Shakespeate, famous romantic and classical school poets and scientific wizards like Albert Einstein, Stephan Hawking, Issac Newton etc are at eternal rest. It was a rejuvenation when I saw the coffee houses where the Victorian snobbishness germinated and became instrumental to the creation of Victorian poetry. Many things like old Wind Mills and palaces are preserved in its original antiquity. The daffodils spread out in Milky Way, which could be seen in tens of thousands at a glance ,once aroused the poetic genius of William Wordsworth was a nostalgia to our minds as spectators. Therefore the knowledge will enable one to understand the genesis and development of English literature. Thus it is certainly a pleasure to see the place of our widely used international language. We all speak English with our own dialectical adultery and its influence. But the authority for the quality of this language is undoubtedly of England. The language has undergone metamorphosis in America and other English speaking countries. But English is apprised authoritatively in accordance with Wren& Martin, Oxford and Advanced Learners dictionary and Allen's Living English Structure, which are of UK origin. So an opportunity to see all these places rejuvenated my broken link with the blessed language.

Westminster Abbey

There are many exemplary things for us to learn from England. Their discipline in the society, manners in behavior , law abiding nature etc. should be paradigm for us. But a part of their culture is not acceptable for Indian culture. We are ahead with our culture of our care of our parents and keeping our attachment with them till the end of life. We maintain relatively better family integrity than a westerner. Probably, that could be the reason ,when someone asked another, " How can you transform earth, a heaven?" He replied," You better have a house in UK, have a job in USA, have your food from China, and HAVE YOUR WIFE FROM INDIA."

Next episode will be " A Blessing in disguise" in our tour programme.